From This Moment
by BowtieJunkie
Summary: Speedy wakes up to find a large part of his life gone. The people he once knew have moved on, he's missing a very important limb, and he's having to contend with the fact that while he's the original, he might as well be the copy for all the others know about the real Roy Harper.
1. On Ice

**So here's a new story. I know, not an original idea, but I'm working on it. It will probably become an AU soon, but that'll depend on how Season 2 decides to play out. The first two chapters take place within the episode Satisfaction, so much of the dialogue in the beginning will be recycled. Sorry, but the story can't really sit on its own without this. **

**You'll recognize the episode in a bit.**

**I am, however, adding some new stuff in that will make sense later on down the line.**

**I haven't written 'Speedy' before... So tell me if I step OOC somewhere along the way, please. Oh, right. **

**So I'll be calling him Speedy for the time being, and then when the name changes to Arsenal - you know the deal. This is only to differentiate between the original and the clone, because two Roys would be confusing.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice. If I did, Roy would be one of the main focuses of Season 2. I love that guy... or both guys...**

**Rated T for language (for now)**

* * *

Things turned sour when he realized he'd lost sight of Green Arrow. He would never admit it, but he always felt more confident when he knew he wasn't fighting alone. He loosed another arrow, covering two men in netting before turning on his heels and running. He wasn't a coward, but he knew when he had reached his limit. Whatever they were doing here, he'd at least assured himself that the suspicious activity wouldn't go unnoticed. He'd head back to find Green Arrow, and somehow they'd both figure out a way to lay down the law on LexCorp's newest ruse. Weapons smuggling! That was the least of their worries. Some of the horrors they had seen in that facility were enough to tell him that something very different was happening.

He rounded the corner only to be knocked back. A startled grunt escaped his lips as he fell to the ground and lost his grip on his bow. He hardly had time to roll out of the way before another force pounded the place where he had been only seconds earlier. The first hit had shaken him a bit, and his mind was sluggishly trying to find a way to cover the space between him and his bow without another hit by his mysterious attacker. He narrowly avoided another hit before he dove forward to grab his bow.

White pain flashed through his head as something heavy collided with his leg. He let out a yell and twisted around to meet eyes with a creature hardly recognizable as any familiar animal. Speedy bit his bottom lip and extended himself as far as he could as the pain continued, his fingers just brushing the end of his bow. The pressure on his leg increased and he cried out. Black spots danced at the edge of his vision as he used his other leg to viciously kick at whatever beast had him and the moment the pressure lessened, he used his arms to drag himself forward and grab the bow.

Within seconds he had an arrow notched and Speedy turned to fire. Rather than the creature from before, he was met with something vaguely humanoid in appearance. Two horns curved from its head and its long, thin mouth was pulled into a frown. It raised a hand and the dark spots began to blot out his vision. As a feeling of weightlessness over took him, he could hear a voice in his mind. "I am sorry, young one. But it is for the best. For now, let me take away the pain."

.

* * *

"So, let me get this straight... While I was on ice you found another Roy Harper, the sidekicks formed their own team, aliens invaded the earth, and Ollie grew that dopey goatee." The last part he'd added as an afterthought. After that slipped his lips he inwardly sighed. The medications they had him on were keeping him from thinking straight, and he was having a difficult time making sense of anything. He looked between the two men, deep down hoping that one of them would laugh and say it was all a big joke. He wasn't so lucky.

"We try not to call ourselves sidekicks," said one of them, the one that eerily looked just like him. He looked down sheepishly, trying to avoid Speedy's inquisitive stare.

Ollie, on the other hand, looked slightly offended. "You don't like the goatee?" he asked, rubbing his chin.

Speedy felt the familiar swell of anger in his chest. "So missing the point!" he exclaimed. He glared at both. "You've both been talking around it all day. Now I want answers," he said, pointing to his look-alike with his left hand. His only hand, he reminded himself. "What happened to me? How can there be another Roy Harper? And what happened," he asked, voice trembling as he rose to a yell, "to my arm?!" Speedy gestured to the bandaged remains of his right arm to emphasize his point, letting the anger flare through his body like a flame. He would have done more if he wasn't in that confounded hospital bed.

His look-alike raised his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay," he said calmly. He moved to the side of Speedy's bed. "We wanted to wait until you were strong enough, but" he said, taking a seat in the chair beside Speedy, "I guess the moment's here."

"Moment's passed," Speedy said, scowling at the man beside him. "Get to it."

The man sat for a moment, as if gathering his thoughts, before looking up. "What's the last thing you remember before we found you in Tibet?"

It was something about the tone of voice that kept Speedy from snapping again. He looked away. "I've been trying to piece that together," he said. It hurt to think about it though, just bits and pieces of painful memories he couldn't quite access. "I remember investigating a LexCorp Shell Company... that we," he looked to Ollie, "suspected of smuggling weapons to North Relasia." He let a sigh escape his lips. He didn't want to think about this again. He just wanted to be left alone, but there was still a part of him that wanted answers. He couldn't ignore that part. "Some LexCorp goons got the drop on me," he said, which was in part true. Speedy was sure the other shadowy figures in his memory were just figments of his imagination, side effects of the meds. "I remember feeling embarrassed..." Another part true. "Then nothing." He closed his eyes. That was a lie. Oh, he felt something alright. The pain, the terrible pain, and then that strange weightless sensation. But again, could that just be part of the dream?

"That's right," Ollie said, bringing him out of his thoughts. "They grabbed you and, uh... The thing is, Roy... That was eight years ago." The blonde looked at him, waiting for a response.

All Speedy could do was stare back in disbelief. A startled "what?" escaped his lips.

The look-alike leaned forward in his chair. "Lex Luthor and the Light, this criminal organization that he works with, abducted you." Speedy looked over and the other Roy looked down. "They amputated your arm."

"Why?" The question escaped Speedy's lips before he could form any coherent thoughts. "To keep me from using my bow?"

"No," the look-alike breathed quietly. "They needed an endless supply of your DNA... to perfect their human cloning process."

No one spoke for a moment, and Speedy silently looked between his missing arm and the man beside his bed. Finally it dawned on him. "So that's what you are... A clone." He was saying it, not as a conviction, but as a reassurance that he was really seeing what he thought he saw.

"Yeah," the look-alike, his clone, said. "They grew me, or rather, force-grew me. In a matter of months I looked your age." He looked ashamed, and Speedy felt a pang of sorrow. "They programmed me with all of your memories and skills, and worse..." The clone didn't look as if he wanted to continue.

Ollie lowered himself to sit at the edge of Speedy's bed. "Then they spoon-fed me clues to your location." He leaned back. "I thought I was doing detective work, but in hindsight..." He paused and let out a short breath. "You'd been missing three months... I'd been going crazy, so when I found you - him," he corrected," I didn't question the good fortune. I had no idea it wasn't the real - the original," he cast a quick glance at the other Roy," you." He looked like a broken man as he stared at Speedy. "No idea Luthor had stored you on ice all this time."

Speedy blinked, his mind moving at a sickeningly slow pace. Why couldn't he think?! "So, what you're saying is..." He looked over at the clone. "You took my place! You've been living my life for eight years." The clone refused to meet his eyes.

"And he's been tirelessly searching for you for five of those years," Ollie put in.

"Huh," Speedy said, leaning back against his pillow. He could feel the bitterness begin to burn again. "But not you, Ollie. You gave up on me."

Silence fell again, and only the quiet thrum of medical machinery made any sort of sound. Finally, the clone broke it as the legs of his chair squeaked against the tile floor. He stood beside the bed, both hands raised in a mixture of defeat and as a sign that he meant no more harm. "I don't want to be the cause of more conflict between you two," he said after a moment. "I'd understand," he said, addressing Speedy, "if you never wanted to lay eyes on me again."

Speedy studied his clone before narrowing his eyes and looking to Ollie. "I don't know... Seems to me the clone didn't do anything wrong. He didn't ask to be created. Plus, he found me." Speedy frowned. "I can't blame him for this." He let the fury take over, and he lunged forward, gripping Ollie's should with his hand. "But I can totally blame you!"

"Roy, I-"

"We were partners... friends!" Speedy said breathlessly. "How could you not know I'd been replaced? How could you leave me in Luthor's hands for eight years?!" Ollie looked down but Speedy continued to stare at him. "And how," he continued, more quietly than before, "did I not see how useless you are... Get out." He let go of Ollie's shirt, forcefully pushing the man back. "Get out!" he yelled.

Ollie looked affronted, but accepting, as well, of his reaction. The middle-aged man slowly rose from the hospital bed, which creaked in the new found silence, and walked toward the door. He opened it, pausing at the frame as if he wanted to say something, but didn't even glance back and continued, leaving the door open and the two young men inside.

All of the powerful emotions and the adrenaline left him in a moment, and Speedy breathed unevenly as he avoided looking at the clone. When he finally found his voice and chanced a glance in the other Roy's direction, he found the red-head was staring forlornly at the door. "Look... Roy," he said. It was strange calling someone else by his own name. "I need some time to process all of this."

The clone looked at him and nodded solemnly. "I understand." He left, and Speedy watched him go. When the clone was gone, and the door shut behind him, Speedy looked over at the window. A dark thought entering his mind.

Lex Luthor was the one behind it all, the man who stole his life away. He had missed eight years of his life. Eight years. And in all that time, his friends had grown older and the world had changed while he was frozen in ice in some god forsaken facility in Tibet. Would they even recognize him? What about Dick Grayson? He was the only other sidekick Speedy really knew. Robin... Was the boy still in the hero business? Or had Gotham swallowed him up over time.

Yes, he was angry at Ollie for abandoning him, but he could better channel his anger at something he could fight. Something tangible but impossible. At the moment, he wasn't certain how he'd do it, but Lex Luthor had a debt to pay.

He hardly had to will himself to get up from the bed, and he finally realized what he was doing when he straddled the open window of his room and judged his landing, but he didn't feel the need to even explain it to himself. At the moment, action was the only thing that mattered. Speedy looked down. He was only two stories up, nothing he couldn't handle, nothing he hadn't done before.

Speedy jumped, feeling the wind whistle past his ears, and he relaxed his muscles and waited for the impact with the ground. As expected, it came quickly and though it hurt, nothing was damaged and he quickly moved along the wall to the street. From where he stood, he could see the sign for the Royal Memorial Hospital, which meant they were in Star City. He had an advantage. Star City was his home town, and if nothing else, he could try to find one of the old headquarters to pick up the stuff he thought he needed.

The weird thing was that everything seemed to have happened yesterday. He could still remember the conversation he had the morning before he was taken, and he could remember very clearly what he had for breakfast and what he wore, and even what he had jokingly said to Dinah when she came by to wish them luck and tell them to be back for that dinner she'd promised she would cook the week before. Speedy had been begging her to come over for days, and Ollie hadn't objected to his whining. And of course, it wasn't a problem remembering where everything was around the city. It had changed, but not that much.

He avoided noticing the odd looks people shot him as he made is way down the street. Luckily, the nearest HQ was only a mile away and some of that trip could be taken down side streets.

When he finally reached the shady district of town where their old alleyway entrance was, he sped into a steady jog and then a run. He reached the end, hoping Ollie was still as sentimental a bastard as he had been before, and kept everything in the same place. His hand brushed a familiar place on the wall and a metallic click indicated the opening of a panel where one of the bricks should have been. He stepped forward and leaned down, keeping his eyes level with the panel, and a thin beam of red lit his face as it scanned his eyes. "Recognized, Red Arrow," a computerized voice spoke as Speedy straightened up.

The wall gave a hiss as it split into two doors and slid open. Speedy smirked. "So new Roy goes by Red Arrow," he said quietly to himself. "Wow... that's an original name" So far, he was finding it hard to be impressed with anything that day. It was probably just the anger talking again, though. He wasn't usually so cynical. He stepped through the doors, and as if on cue, they closed behind him and the space inside lit up with artificial lighting.

He stood at the stop of a stairway that led down to various shelving units below and a walkway to a zeta beam platform. Speedy sighed. "Well, some things haven't changed," he said, to himself again. He really needed to stop talking aloud to himself, but it helped him organize his thoughts. Most of his things, his spare uniforms and weapons, were in the same place as before and looked largely untouched except for some minor positioning. And then there were the new things, adding to the clustered feel. "Ollie's still a pack rat," he said as he moved around various strewn items.

The shelves were fairly organized, and he found his relatively easily. His old uniform was folded and placed neatly on one of the shelves, and he picked up the hat in (what he kept reminding himself was) his only hand. "I wonder if he kept this out of laziness, nostalgia... or guilt," he said bitterly, before throwing the hat back onto the pile. He wasn't so sure if he wanted to wear that uniform, but he'd much rather be in that than the hospital gown. It was difficult, but he managed to pull of the gown and struggle into his old uniform, which, he noted sourly, fit much looser than before. He'd lost some weight on ice.

After he was dressed, he wondered through the shelves for a bit, pulling out the weapons he wanted and either positioning them across his back or stuffing them in a bag he'd taken from a previous shelf. Finally, when he was satisfied with what he'd gotten, he moved to a computer console near the zeta beam. "So, let's see what's been happening all this time," he muttered as he flicked it on. He was accessing League files, he knew that much, but apparently physical items weren't the only things Ollie collected. He didn't even need to access actual League servers to get what he wanted. He already knew what he needed to know for what he was about to do, but he still wanted to know what he'd missed. It was intriguing to see what had changed with the Justice League, and the team of sidekicks (which didn't call themselves sidekicks), over the years.

He started with older files. So, they'd formed a little group that the League used for "covert missions", among other things. He recognized Kid Flash and Aqualad from visits with other League members, but he didn't know them personally. Robin looked the same as ever, with his smug little grin and his mimic of the Batman. Other than a few extra inches, the boy looked much the same. Speedy didn't, however, recognize the others. Apparently, replacing him with the clone wasn't enough, as he came across yet another one of Ollie's sidekicks.

Speedy shook his head at the blonde. Artemis? What kind of a gig was that?

He scrolled around a bit more and came across two other members. One was a dark haired boy that went by Superboy, one of the original members of the team, and another was a rather harmless looking girl. Miss Martian was her name. Speedy didn't have any trouble connecting those two with their mentors. The part that intrigued him was that Superboy was also a clone. As if Cadmus hadn't already done enough by cloning Speedy.

He was also pretty sure that Superman wasn't missing an arm. Lucky bastard...

Next he looked up newer things, noting with interest how the original team changed and they piled on new members. "Crawling out of the wood-works..." Robin had changed to Nightwing, which was interesting, but Speedy wasn't surprised. All of it seemed unreal, like he was reading it all from some book. Eight years... he felt lightheaded.

"So what's up with you, Ollie?" Speedy muttered as he skimmed the more recent League files after losing interest in the Team. "Oh, would you look at this," he said with a smirk. He'd reached personal files, and there he found a few picture of Ollie with a familiar blonde. "Still got the Canary wrapped around your finger? Or is it the other way around..."

"Recognized, Red Arrow." He didn't get a chance to look in detail, though, because the computerized voice shouted an alert. "Error, Red Arrow already inside." Speedy jumped and quickly looked around for a security camera of sorts. He found the surveillance screens where they had been before, and wasn't surprised to see Ollie and the clone standing outside, looking just as startled by the computerized voice as Speedy had been. "Security breach. Lockout." Ollie was already leaning forward, saying something into the computer, but Speedy didn't stay to find out.

"Figures this would be the first place they looked..." He threw his bag over his should and stepped into the zeta beam. By the time the doors had opened, he was already standing there, a smug grin on his face. He'd done his research. They couldn't stop him. He still had the stuff, even after being on ice for a few years.

"Roy, wait!" Ollie said as the light from the zeta beam turned Speedy's frame into a silhouette.

"Sorry, GA," Speedy said. "Can't let you stop me." He didn't hear a response. The zeta beam had already materialized him in his new location in Metropolis. He hoped they were smart enough to realize the present he'd left behind before either got themselves hurt. He left the grenade not to kill them, or even injure them, but to keep them from following him and ruining his mission. It wasn't just about his arm... it was about his life.

* * *

**Yikes, short chapter... Two might be a little bit longer. I wasn't happy with the fight scene on the episode, so that's probably gotta change. **

**Leave a review? Thanks if you do! :)**


	2. Revenge

**Okay, changed my mind. After watching later episodes, the fight needed to remain the same so that later plot is still relevant. **

**Here's the new chapter! :) Hope you all like. Tell me if I've gotten anything weird please. I've got a friend checking, but she's not beta-ing.**

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By the time he reached LexCorp's main building and established a vantage point, the sun was already sinking below the horizon. He had found a point well-hidden from security cameras across from the windows of the top floor office of LexCorp, what he could only guess was Lex Luthor's office. Luckily, he was correct, and he positioned his equipment around him and focused a pair of binoculars on the window. Now wouldn't be the time to strike. He'd have to wait.

Waiting was... something he'd always had difficulty with. He wasn't a particularly patient person, and one could only take stock of ammo and polish weapons so many times before becoming entirely bored and cranky. Speedy supposed it wasn't his fault. He'd already waited eight years, and he could wait longer, but that didn't mean he wanted to.

He looked through the other windows from time to time. He didn't need to harm more people than was necessary. He finally gave up waiting for the young woman with the caramel colored hair to leave. Probably one of Lex's secretaries. Maybe something more. He didn't care. She was a sacrifice he'd have to make.

Careful not to make too much movement and attract any unwanted attention, Speedy unzipped his bag and pulled out one of the bigger guns he'd brought. There were a few pieces to snap together; he managed. Speedy hefted up on one shoulder, his left, holding it shakily for a moment as he got used to the feeling of it on the wrong side, and then his expression changed to that of grim determination. He stilled, taking aim, and couldn't help but smirk as his finger tightened around the trigger. "Gotta love modern weapons tech," he muttered. "Easier for a one-armed man to fire a missile launcher than pull on his pants." He snickered and pulled the trigger.

It clicked, and for a moment nothing happened, and then a rush of smoke and an ear-drum shattering sound filled the air. Speedy took a step back as the recoil from the shot and the explosion in the side of the building hit him, and his eyes closed of their own accord as he tried to regain his bearings and keep from inhaling too much of the smoke. "There's a reason I never used missile launchers before," he said between coughs. "Now I remember why."

He wanted to be finished then, but he had a sneaking suspicion that Lex Luthor wouldn't just die that easily. Speedy discarded the gun and forced himself to perch on the edge of the building. He squinted through the smoke, and unable to see brought up his binoculars. For a moment there was nothing, but then he noticed two figures standing near some sort of opening in the back wall. "Come on," he breathed. "Really? Can a guy not cut a break here?"

Speedy couldn't tell what they were doing, but he was guessing that since they somehow survived, someone would send an alert. He didn't need a warning to know they would be on his tail soon. He threw off his binoculars, which made an awful clatter as they landed next to the missile launcher, and then he shot a line down to street level. Good thing Ollie likes making replicas of Batman's gear, or he didn't think he would make it in time. He hit the ground just as the hum of helicopter blades hung overhead.

It was simple enough to get in the building. He already had a general plan and Luthor's men were looking for an intruder above, not below. He jogged to the edge of the building and found the entrance to the underground unmanned, just as he thought it would be, though he had an extra bullet just in case, and he quickened into a sprint down into the garage.

Somehow, Speedy was sure they'd go down here. He knew Lex was a coward, and it would be just like him to try and run. The archer was prepared, though. He didn't have the same level of skill as before, muscle mass and stamina had deteriorated in the ice, but he was sure as hell fired up enough to do what he came for. Revenge.

He located the car as well, with little effort on his part, perhaps a bit suspicious in hindsight. The explosive he'd used before at Green Arrow's base was attached inside the hood of the white four-door car. All he had to do was wait for Lex Luthor, and possibly his assistant, to walk into the trap. He didn't plan on killing Luthor with the explosion, though, because he wanted the man to know who had bested him. Speedy crawled beneath a van a few parking spaces away to wait. He would detonate this one manually.

Within a couple seconds of assuming his hiding place, the loud slam of a door and the sound of footsteps announced the arrival of people. Speedy hoped they were from the right people. He was angry, but not enough to kill innocents.

He pressed the trigger and almost instantly the garage shook with an explosion. From where he was sitting his ears rang with the sound of it. He could only imagine how it sounded from up close. Speedy pushed himself to his feet, dropping the trigger. It was useless now. He wanted to kill the man where he could see him.

Speedy approached from the clearing smoke. It would look more intimidating that way, if nothing else. "For a smart man, Luthor, you're pretty easy to outmaneuver." The weapon he held was hefted to his shoulder as he got into position in front of Lex Luthor and his secretary. To say Speedy wasn't satisfied by the look of surprise on Luthor's face would be far from the truth. In fact, he wanted more. "One little missile flushed you right out," he said, balancing the gun on his shoulder. He set his sights for the middle of Luthor's forehead.

Luthor didn't seem fazed by that. He stood up slowly, dusting the debris from his black suit. The surprise was gone, replaced with a cold smirk. "Mr. Harper," he said. "So nice to see you again."

Anger boiled up in Speedy's chest. "Feeling's not mutual," he growled. The light from the burning car behind cast a reddish-orange glow over their bodies. Luthor's secretary had moved to a crouch, looking just as cruel as Lex in that moment. "Tell your body guard to disarm."

Luthor's smile widened. He turned to the brunette behind him. "Mercy?" he asked, and he held out a hand to help her up. She took it, expression frozen. Lex looped his arm around her waist and helped her to stand and then stepped back. The girl put her hands up to show they were free. "She carries no weapon."

That was confusing to Speedy. Why wouldn't she carry a weapon?

Suddenly she pushed her arm forward and her sleeve tore away with a metallic scrape, revealing a shiny black robotic arm beneath it. Her hand flipped up against the wrist and a blast barely missed the archer. The force of it sent him flying back and he lost grip on his gun. So much for the perfect plan...

He pushed himself up with a grunt, keeping his eyes locked on 'Mercy', as Luthor had called her.

"She is a weapon," Luthor said, eyes glinting in the fire light.

Mercy started to pace slowly towards the archer, and Speedy quickly got to his feet. He took a couple of steps back, still staring at the approaching danger, and then he made up his mind. He needed to get in a better position. He turned on his heel and sprinted into the darkness.

Speedy could feel the air rush by from shots that just barely missed him, and he dove under one of the cars. He slid on his back from the momentum and then rolled to his feet on the other side, changing directions. He needed to lose her for a bit. One of her shots hit that car and it lurched sideways, leaving black tire marks on the pavement. Speedy was already to the next row of cars though, and he used the back of one to push him in the other direction.

Mercy blew the bumper off of the car he had hit just seconds before, and Speedy found himself rolling across the ground again to dodge her shots. He came out of the roll sloppily and barely saved himself from falling as he ran the other way. He was out of shape.

That didn't, however, mean he was out of practice. He found his chance with a black Hummer. Mercy would shoot at it, and if he was in the right spot, he'd be able to pull off a move he wouldn't normally attempt. He slipped the crossbow out of his pack and jumped up on the hood of the car.

As he expected, Mercy hit the back with enough force to send him flying. He used his legs to control his direction and flipped around to shoot a number of bolts in her direction. Mercy was better at dodging than shooting, and she ducked as they embedded in the cement column behind her.

Speedy landed on the ground, pressed down against his stomach and hurried to take cover behind the nearest car. Time to wait.

The darts he'd shot into the wall behind Mercy glowed red at the tips and a loud screech filled the air, followed by a blast as they detonated. The bodyguard flew forward and slammed into the hood of the Hummer. Speedy didn't stay to see what she did. He put his next plan into action. Stealth would help him now.

He slunk beneath cars, progressing back to where Luthor stood with his brief case. The man was brave, that much credit he deserved. Lex still had a smile on his face as his eyes searched the wreckage of the fight. He sat the briefcase down, still looking for a sign of the archer. "Quite the arsenal you've brought today, Mr. Harper," he called out.

Speedy crouched in his hiding place. "You haven't seen the half of it, Luthor."

"Oh, I wasn't talking about the weaponry," said Luthor. "I, myself, never go armed." He paused. "No, the greatest arsenal any man can bring consists of the resources of his own mind." His voice echoed through the garage. Speedy felt a sense of foreboding rise up in his chest. "His intelligence, his strategy, his force of will... And you, my young friend," said he, "have all of those in spades."

There was a click at the front of the car that caused Speedy's instinct to flare. He ducked, just as the glass from the back window of the car exploded outwards. He hardly caught his breath before he was running again, dodging fire from Mercy. How she was conscious, he didn't know... unless she entirely mechanical. Each car behind him exploded in quick succession until one of the shots came to close, and he was thrown into the air by the force of the explosion. He hit the roof of a car, denting the metal, and then hit the ground. The air in his lungs was expelled with such a force that all he could do was stay frozen in place until he got it back.

He looked up. His crossbow had slid between the rolled. He pushed himself up, prepared to reach for it, but Mercy blew it up and took aim at him as well. He was a little better prepared this time, curling up in the shadow of a car until Mercy ran past. He moved to the next as her footsteps moved closer, getting out of sight. She moved on after finding nothing.

Speedy watched her walk off, and then he pulled a small device out of his pack and used it to open the door of the car. It was simple enough to get it started and he used some of the items in the backseat to weigh down the gas pedal. The car was just a diversion. He jumped out of the way as it sped down the row toward Mercy. He didn't wait to see what she did, but from the sounds of gunfire and a later explosion, he guessed she'd bought his ruse.

Meanwhile he was staying hidden as he ran toward the explosion. He'd get Mercy from behind.

He got out onto open ground and sprinted. She'd see him if he didn't move fast enough, and then it would be too late. A snarl erupted from his throat as he threw himself at her, and he barely hit her arm before she dodged out of the way. A well-aimed punch sent him reeling back and it took most of his concentration to keep from landing on his back again. He threw up one of his lesser weapons just in time to take the fire from Mercy's gun, and the impact tossed him back again like a rag doll. He was getting tired of this.

Speedy rolled of the car and slipped under another, leaving behind a quietly beeping surprise. Mercy realized just in time and headed in the opposite direction as it exploded. It threw the cars in the surrounding area into the air and filled the air with smothering black smoke. Speedy watched as Mercy looked for him. It would only be a matter of time before she found him again, and he was beginning to run out of ideas. He needed to bring out the game changer soon, or he'd be dead within the hour.

He reached into his bag. Time to bring out his last chance.

He pulled out what appeared to be a simple rope. In reality, it was much more sophisticated than that. He hadn't thought about only having one arm, though... He had to string it out with his teeth. He bit down and it snapped at the end. He was ready.

Speedy found Mercy again and silent followed her until he found a good place for an ambush. She was standing between a concrete pillar and a silver car. He was sitting on the top of a red one on the next row. As Mercy stepped into the center of her row, he ran along the top of the red.

She turned as she heard his footsteps, but he was already mid-air. Her shots missed and he wrapped the rope through her arm. Hopefully it would work on its own, because she sent him flying through the air again against another unlucky person's car. He hit the ground, his head pounding. He struggled to catch his breath and looked up at Mercy. She knew she had him cornered.

She wasn't expecting him to full out another trigger. He held it out like a warning flag and Mercy's face went through a number of expressions before settling on surprised. He pushed and the bone shattering explosion threw them apart. Speedy used the car for cover and then ran again. Lex was next.

"Mercy!" Lex Luthor called out, reaching for the girl. It was futile, and really only gave Speedy an opening to wrap Luthor's arm with the same explosive rope he'd gotten Mercy with.

Speedy's momentum carried him past Lex and he ended with a roll to his feet. He pulled out the trigger, and the cover flipped open to reveal the detonator. The rope glowed red.

"That's Detonation Cord, Luthor," Speedy said. "The kind Lex Corp sells illegally." He stepped closer. "The perfect revenge. I use your own tech to do to you," he said, smiling at the detonator, "what you did to me."

Luthor didn't seem at all fazed. "Except, we gave you anesthesia. Your methods seem a tad more... violent," he said, gesturing to the coiling around his arm.

Speedy was tempted to say a number of things, but he refrained. "We reap what we sow, Luthor."

Lex gave an unnerving smile. "Indeed... But are you prepared for the harvest?" Men dressed in dark armor circled them, guns raised and aimed at the daring archer. "Vengeance is a sucker's game, son. Yours can only be achieved at the cost of your own life."

"You think I won't pay that cost," Speedy jeered.

"Honestly," said Luthor, "I have no idea." He looked down at his arm again, smirking. "But I might just be dying to find out."

One of the men lifted his gun a little higher. "Should we take him out now, Mr. Luthor?" he asked.

"No," Luthor said, turning his eyes to Speedy. "I'm content to wait patiently for young Mr. Harper's decision."

He could almost feel the thin red laser lights trail his skin, whole flurries of them as Luthor's men blocked his only means of escape. And then there's Lex, grinning down at him, daring him to twitch and then get blown apart. Speedy half considered it. Should he go ahead and put himself out of his misery? It'd certainly please a few people. Self-righteous suicide, right? And then Ollie would pout a little while, pretend he cared that his former sidekick had to scraped from the walls, and then play his little games with the clone, Speedy's replacement, and all would be right with the world. They had survived long enough without him. What difference would it make? And it was the knowing smile from Lex that made him lift the trigger a little higher. It would be so easy... Everything would be over so fast...

No.

"Don't mock me, Luthor," Speedy yelled. "To get my revenge, I'd run any risk!"

Luthor fixed him with a calm stare that only served to infuriate Speedy more. "I don't believe in risk," said the man. "I believe in preparation. You see, ever since you vacated that cozy little freezer unit we provided for you in Tibet, I've expected this confrontation." He made his way around to the briefcase on the ground. "So I came prepared." He kicked it, and the metal container slid toward Speedy on its side.

The archer looked at it, weighing his options. Finally he crouched down, finger still hovering near the trigger. "How do I know it's not booby-trapped?"

"I suppose you don't."

Speedy glanced at it again. At this point, it didn't matter if he died. Maybe if it was a trap, he could manage to press the trigger anyways. He tapped both the snaps with his finger and the lid popped opened slowly. He grabbed it and opened it the rest of the way. What was inside shocked the breath out of him. A mechanical arm... Was Luthor offering him this?

"What is it you really want, son?" asked Luthor with a knowing smile, "Revenge or satisfaction?"

Speedy couldn't think straight... all thought processes had halted in his mind. He sat the detonator down slowly and reached out to touch the arm. It was beautiful. It could be his. He'd have his arm back, or something better.

It really came down to Luthor's last question... Revenge or satisfaction?

His choice was obvious.


	3. Satisfaction

**New chapter, dearies. I forgot I had this one set back. As always, I love hearing from you. Reviews are great and follows/favorites are very much appreciated. I'm starting to go to the AU part. Let me know if there's anything you'd like to see.**

* * *

He'd taken it. Speedy had buckled and taken it. He'd chosen between getting what he'd come for and taking one of Luthor's shiny prizes. It was angering, his final decision, but after some thought he realized it would be better in the long run. The next time he came to rid the world of Lex Luthor, he would be ready.

Luthor had called off his men and they stood watching as Speedy snapped the briefcase closed and left the trigger lying on the ground. He picked up the metal case with his new arm in it. "That it?"

"You're convinced? I was expecting more of a fight."

Speedy scoffed. "You're safe." For now, he added in his mind.

Luthor nodded and waved his hand dismissively. "You are free to go."

The archer looked up in surprise. Were they really just letting him walk away after pulling a stunt like that? Or were they going to shoot him in the back as soon as he moved to leave? Speedy just nodded and tightened his grip on the case. He'd get his revenge. Wouldn't it be nice if he exacted it with the very weapon Luthor had given him?

He was moving out the exit to the garage, trying not to breath in too much smoke as he went. Then he saw them, his old mentor and the clone, standing next to the building. He sighed before pulling on a fake smile. "Hey guys," he called out. "What took you so long?"

They ran toward him, looking worried. "Roy," Ollie said breathlessly. "Are you alright?"

"I'm good," said Speedy, his smile transforming into a smirk. "Well," he said as an afterthought, raising the nub that used to be his arm, "better than I've been in eight years, anyway."

Ollie did not look amused, his eyes slits beneath his mask. "You didn't-"

"Kill Luthor?" Speedy interrupted. "No. Not tonight." But soon.

The clone was watching with a guarded expression. "What's in the case?"

Speedy lifted it up with a grunt. "Satisfaction," he said. He lowered it to the ground, facing the others, and opened it. "Won't fool anyone into thinking it's actual flesh and blood, but its more powerful and versatile than the one Luthor gave his own bodyguard." He held back a laugh at his past mentor's expression. "And it will literally make me a living weapon." He stood up and stared Ollie in the eye. "No one's putting me on ice again. Ever."

Ollie glanced back at the clone before speaking. "Speedy, are you sure you're okay?"

He pulled of his domino mask. That name was a reminder... a reminder of what he'd gone through. "Speedy died eight years ago." He tossed it to the ground and leaned down to close his case. When he turned around to look to the others he let out a slow breath. "But I kind of like the sound of Arsenal."

Arsenal. He'd heard the word when Luthor had been speaking about the greatest arsenal a man could bring. The resources of his own mind. He wasn't stupid. Despite his hatred for the man, he could see Luthor's genius. And so, his worst enemy inadvertently gave him a new name. Whenever Luthor saw him next, whether on the news or on the night of his death, he might laugh at the irony. Not that the archer cared. That would only make him want to kill the despised man quicker.

* * *

He'd shaved his hair. Maybe because he looked to much like the clone, maybe out of some rebellious streak of anger because Ollie always liked it long and Roy didn't want anything to do with the man.

He wasn't trusted anymore to be alone with himself for too long... Not after what he did at the hospital.

Especially not after seeking revenge on Luthor.

Sure, they kept mostly out of sight, but he could see the security cameras swivel and hear the nervous coughs from the other room. They thought he was about to snap any minute. He couldn't tell them to leave him the hell alone because then what? He's out on the street and he can't even use his real name because the clone has been living it so long. He's nobody now. The first man down and the last to stand again. Is it even worth it to try?  
Roy contemplated that as he sat looking at his new arm for the umpteenth time in the last day or so. It was March 23rd, just two days after he had came to the cave, and already he felt like he'd spent a lifetime being babysat by his 'teammates' and cooped of in their little headquarters at Mount Justice. It was humiliating, and all he really wanted to do was go home and sleep.

Of course, he reminded himself. He didn't have a home. Not now. He was stuck with the idiots at the cave. He didn't have anywhere to escape.  
Well, he could always break out and go for a run or something. That used to clear his mind. Why wouldn't it now? There weren't many people at Mount Justice at the moment and they were most likely busy with other business. The only people he could remember seeing that day was Nightwing (he still felt odd calling the kid that... it was also odd that the immature little boy had grown so much), Superboy (another clone... he decided not to like him from the beginning), and the little green kid... What was it? Beastboy?

Roy turned onto his side in his bed and looked over to the alarm clock positioned on a borrowed bedside table. It was early enough in the afternoon that he could be back by dark if he wanted to. Of course, at the moment he was inclined to think that he didn't want to. He let out a sigh he sat up. He might as well take the arm with him. If he decided to explore, who knew what he might run into.

He pulled it on and it booted up. The technology behind it was astounding. He hardly understood the half of it, but he knew that it was beyond their time.

Roy made his way out of his room and through the living quarters. There was not a soul in sight, so he took the direct approach to the door outside. Surprisingly, he wasn't stopped, and he stepped out into the spring sunlight with a smirk. Easy.

* * *

Around eleven o'clock, Roy realized he should probably head back to the cave. He hadn't meant to stay out so long, but he'd found a place to eat in Happy Harbor... and he might have met a few girls along the way. Of course, he had to leave before he could collect digits or spark any more than a conversation, so he started walking. He stopped of at a store to buy a flashlight, as the way back to Mount Justice that he was taking would be dark and he hadn't figured out if his new arm had a light function.

So it was thirty minutes later that he came within view of the mountain. Three minutes later, it was engulfed in flames.

It had started as a high-pitched ringing sound, carrying through the air and leaving Roy a bit peeved. Then there was a hiss, like someone had sucked all of the air out of the atmosphere. The next thing Roy knew, he was lying on his back as a shockwave passed through the area. Ahead of him was a thick column of smoke and fire. Mount Justice was no more.

At first he didn't know what to think. He just sat there, propped up on his elbows, watching the blaze. Then the panic set in. He didn't know anyone particularly well, and lately he hadn't acted like much of a hero, but that didn't stop instinct from setting in. There were people in there, and while and explosion might not have affected the Kryptonian, the green kid and Nightwing wouldn't be able to withstand it.

He got to his feet and started running in the direction of the road. It would be faster that way. He tore through the brush and skidded onto the asphalt. Fast approaching headlights caused him to jump out of the way. Someone sped past on a bike toward the flame, no doubt having seen the explosion. Roy sucked in a breath and ran faster.

He took a few minutes to get close, and the closer he came, the warmer the air around him became. It was scorching by the time he reached the bike that had passed him earlier. It was one of the people on the Team, digging frantically through the rubble. He tried to think of a name. Mal Duncan, wasn't it? "Mal," Roy called out, and he must have gotten it right because the young man turned around.

Mal looked stressed, if anything, but instinct seemed to have kicked in with him too, and his expression was that of seriousness. "You weren't inside?" he asked.

"I went to town for the day," said Roy.

"So you don't know what happened," Mal said, a statement rather than a question. Roy shook his head. Mal let out a breath and then paused, looking up. "Did you hear that?"

Roy listened, hardly able to hear through the blood pumping in his ears. "Yes." It was a quiet mechanical buzzing sound, accented with beeps.  
"Sphere?" Mal called out, looking around. He pulled a device out of his pocket and Roy moved closer to get a better look. The device was held up for a moment before Mal pulled it down. "Over there," said Mal. "I think there's something alive that way." Roy looked where he was pointing. It was a ways off, down near the water at the edge of the beach. Scorch marks trailed that far but not past it. Whatever was there had just barely been missed by the flames.

The archer looked back to Mal, only to realize that he was already running toward the beach, stripping off his jacket. Roy wasn't excited at the prospect of running again, but he followed nonetheless. Mal dove into the water and Roy stopped just at the edge, watching warily. He didn't like water. As funny as it sounded, it reminded him of ice. Besides, he reminded himself, his arm was made of metal. The water wouldn't be good for it, right?

At that point, he realized he was just making excuses.

Roy watched from the beach as Mal dove under to grab Nightwing, who had slipped from his precarious position on Sphere. He would have stayed to see if everyone made it out of the water okay, but a loud hissing sound behind caused him to turn. Mal's bike was catching fire. It wasn't like they needed another explosion.

He ran back up to where it was parked and moved it the best he could. The main body wasn't damaged, but the rubber of the tires had melted. By the time he made it back down to the beach, Mal and Conner were almost to shore. Mal collapsed on the beach in exhaustion and Roy ran over to pull both he and Nightwing completely out of the water. Conner sat in the sand cradling Wolf.

"You alright?" Roy asked. Just because he didn't like the clone, didn't mean he needed to be rude.

Superboy fixed him with a glare. "Fine," he said. "No thanks to you."

Roy felt a familiar anger boiling up inside. "What do you mean by that? I came running as soon as Mount whatever blew up. I could have just stood by and watched."

"You could have helped Mal with Nightwing," he said.

"I'm sorry, but I wasn't about to drown myself trying."

"Drown? You can swim, can't you?" Conner asked, getting to his feet.

Roy didn't stand down. "Yeah, back when I had two arms," he said, facing the clone. "Metal sinks. This ones made out of metal."

"I'm sure you could have managed," Conner said, stepping closer.

Mal had regained some of his energy in that time and stepped between them. "Stop. Both of you. We can discuss this later," he said. "Right now we need get medical attention for Nightwing and figure out what happened."

Conner took a breath to calm down and then spoke. "I know what happened," he said quietly. "Kaldur happened. He blew up the place and took Blue Beetle, Impulse, and Beastboy with him."

"He took them?" Mal breathed. "What is he planning?"

"No idea," said Conner, "but Nightwing might have one." Wolf stirred at his feet and he leaned down to ruffle the creature's ears. "We need to get him somewhere safer."

"We all need to get somewhere safer," Mal said, eyeing the burning remains of their base. "There's no telling what was down in some of those old boiler rooms, and if the flames and heat reach something combustable..." The rest didn't need saying.

"Well, you aren't taking the bike," said Roy, inserting himself in the conversation.

"Why not?" Mal asked.

"Tires melted," he replied. "You parked it too close to the fire. I moved it... But the damage was already done."

Mal let out a sigh. "Looks like we're walking."

Conner nodded and looked over to Roy. "And it looks like you'll be carrying Wolf, since you didn't help earlier." The archer let out a huff. That wasn't going to be easy at all, but the look from Conner kept him from any further complaints.

"Do we need to call the Justice League?" Mal asked.

Conner shook his head. "They already know."

"It's kind of hard to miss," said Roy, turning his eyes from the blaze. He looked down at the white mass of fur. He'd be carrying that all the way back to town. There was a zeta in Happy Harbor that they'd be taking. Roy cast one last glance at the flaming debris. It was a good thing he decided to take his arm.


End file.
